Comments on: SOUR NOTE: You Got What You Wanted

by: swarm

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 00:52:14 +0000

Low,

it’s too early to consider this season over. With that said I’m still convinced that Flip is a flake and that he will not be able to lead this group of battle tested warriors to the promised land. Why do I think this? Besides the reasons you so eloquently stated above Flip doesn’t seem to understand the foundation of strategy.

Exploitation of the other teams weaknesses! Every team has them and until Flip finds a way to do this instead of relying solely on an imaginative but until now unproven playbook he will never be a great coach.

Our only hope is that these early season troubles will force him to adapt (or die).

by: Matt G

Sun, 19 Nov 2006 05:27:51 +0000

Give it time. Yes the pistons have been crap through the first 8 games but just give them time. If in mid-December they are still sub .500, then I’m going to worry.

I don’t like Flip Murray

by: The Low

Fri, 17 Nov 2006 23:02:15 +0000

Ah dba my friend, you are always there ready to debunk my latest theory. Let me see if I can make my stance as clear as possible.

All things being equal, Ben Wallace is the “multiplier” if you will.

So, it’s a bit of both.

For example:
Under Larry Brown:
With #3: Championship Basketball
Without #3: Pretty darn good basketball

Under Flip Saunders:
With #3: Good Basketball (not quite LB good)
Without #3: Mediocre/Avg Basketball

So, Flip IS the major portion of the problem because we are stuck with sub-par coaching. However, there is still a major difference when you factor in #3. As much as I can’t stand Flip, I would much rather have to deal with him as coach with #3 in the lineup than without.

by: webz

Fri, 17 Nov 2006 20:24:01 +0000

I agree that Flip has not been good for this team. I don’t agree that keeping Ben was the answer to all our problems.
He hasn’t exactly had a stellar start in Chicago. If we had kept him at that hefty price tag I think in 2 years time (or less) we would be looking a lot like Philly is now with C-Webb - a former star with an untradeable contract and diminished skills, sitting out 4th quarters…
Ben will always be a Piston to me and I love him for what he did for Detroit, but sometimes situations don’t work out.

by: dba

Fri, 17 Nov 2006 15:08:27 +0000

Oh DLow, DLow. Always good to read you first thing in the morning and get my day off from the depths of despair. You’re reminding me though of a defense attorney who argues two plausible but contradictory views of the crime. “My client didn’t kill this person, but if he did, it was because of extreme emotional distress”.

So come on, pick a foot and stand on it. Ben or Flip? Together they won 64 games, tore the whole league a new one, and suffered perhaps the biggest collapse in playoff history. Flip without Ben? Three and five, and apparently clueless as you describe about rebounding and defense. Regardless though, you’re right – something smells. I’m just not sure that eight games in it’s all so clear where the biggest stink lies.

by: MotownPride

Fri, 17 Nov 2006 14:34:53 +0000

On the money. Although this team is definitely not a lottery team, I think it is safe to say that any semblence of that championship team from 2004 has left the building. I’ve never been sold on Flip’s approach to basketball and I think what you will see throughout the season is that there is a huge gap between Detroit and the elite teams this year. We’ve lost our competitive advantage and are trying to win games in a style that does not befit our personell. Bad coaching. If you didn’t know what made Flip a playoff failure, I think you know now. Nice work, Low.

by: The Low

Fri, 17 Nov 2006 04:35:21 +0000

Matt–

I guess that comment required a bit of background. I was very unhappy with the defensive schemes last year that, in my opinion, put us in a position to not rebound well and essentially forced Ben to have to rebound 1 on 3 or 1 on 4 many possessions.

So, you are right in that those problems surfaced last season, but they were due in large part to the way the Pistons were instructed to defend which was considerably different from the defensive scheme that Larry Brown employed.

by: PistonsForum.com

Fri, 17 Nov 2006 04:01:34 +0000

Sour Note : You Got What You Wanted…

by: Matt W.

Thu, 16 Nov 2006 22:24:33 +0000

With that having been said, the Pistons rebounding is non-existent. I don’t know how you can make the argument that this team will be able to compete for a title without solid rebounding. Teams know if they simply attack the glass, they will either beat the Pistons to the rebound or simply convince them to stop trying. To go along with this, teams attack the rim on this group relentlessly. No challenging shots at the rim, no cutting off penetration, and bowls and bowls of FREE CHILI.

Those problems surfaced with Ben — in fact, it sounds like you’re describing the Pistons in last year’s playoffs. I’m not saying it’s not something we need to address, just that it’s not news…

And saying these Pistons are average on their best night implies we’ve seen their best night, which I don’t think is true. 64 wins spoiled us. We didn’t exactly storm out of the gate during Larry’s two years in town.